Saturday, September 25, 2010

Midlife with Dan

Eighteen years ago today, I met Dan. I was only 18 years old. That means today is the midpoint of my life with Dan. Yesterday, the scale tipped the other way: more of my life had been spent without him than with him. Today, the scale is exactly balanced. And tomorrow? It tips the other way. Wanna know why? My life is full.

Of him. Full of his love our love for each other.

I’ve always said God brought Dan into my life at the exact right moment. The first time we met, it didn’t turn out well. (Click here to read Our Story.) But when we did finally “meet for good” a few months later, it was so perfectly timed that I can’t give anyone credit but God. He knew. All along, He knew. When we finally started dating, a week later he met my parents for the first time when I turned 19. Shortly after that, my beloved Grandfather Frank died. Then Mom was diagnosed with lupus. Then Dad left Mom. The rest is history, of course.

I fully believe God put Dan in my life because He knew Dan would love me almost as much as God Himself loves me. The reason it didn’t work out the first time we met? You could chalk it up to circumstance, I guess. But I know the truth: God knew neither of us was ready. I still had a few mistakes to make, and my need for Dan’s influence on my life wasn’t refined yet. God waited to bring us back together when the moment was perfect.

I know, without a doubt, that God gave Dan to me because I needed a stable person in my life. I needed someone who would love me unconditionally. Back then, I knew about God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit, but didn’t really KNOW them in the sense of leaning on them and putting my life in their hands. (Heck, I’m not sure I do that very well even now!) But back then, I put my worth in what others thought of me. The idea of God loving me unconditionally hadn’t quite taken residence in my heart. Dan brought that concept down to an understandable idea for me. He still does!

Dan was the precursor to my understanding of God’s love for me. Dan has been the tangible proof of God’s love in my life. As Jean Valjean says in Les Miserables, “To love another person is to see the face of God.” In Dan’s love, I have seen the face of God. And He is beautiful!
Thank you for the gift of your presence in my life, Dan. Thank you for the countless ways you have loved me – back in 1992 before we knew we had a future together, and all the ways you love me still today. You are the best gift I’ve ever received! God is so good to us.

1 comment:

I've spent my entire adult life with Randy. We went to high school together and I absolutely hated him then. I would have laughed my head off if someone would have suggested I would marry him. Funny how a little time can change things. I was 18 and just graduated from high school. He was 20 and home on leave from the Marines. We ran into each other uptown and have been together ever since.

Who Am I?

About Me

I am small-minded and judgmental when I’m operating under my own power. But when Jesus gets a hold of me? All bets are off and He sets me on fire. I say things to friends I might not normally say, and write things I might not normally write. I take photos as if He’s the eyeball in my eye socket and, whoa! He shows me some breathtaking glory through my lens! I am wounded and limping, which frustrates my perfectionist tendencies to no end until I am vulnerable enough to share those wounds with someone else. When I share, I find others who remind me trying to be perfect is a lonely place to be. The broken spots are the ME TOO spots, where the rest of the wounded limpers hang out and lock arms with each other. Anyway… I know what you really want in the “about me” section is a more demographic description of who I am, so here it is: I am a transplant from Marietta, Georgia to St. Louis, Missouri. I am married to the smartest, most challenging, and most loving man I've ever met. I am the mother to two kids and we have an adorable dog named Smokey. I am a photographer (aka “visual worshiper”) and aspiring writer.

About My Blog

I decided to name my blog after the poem "Six Golden Coins" by Martin Buxbaum. We are all given a precious gift at birth, and all have the ability to "spend" that gift as we grow and learn, laugh, cry, and love. I pray that the way I choose to spend my coins is pleasing to God, and makes the best use of what He gave me.